ASYMMETRIC OPTICAL-Y JUNCTIONS AND SWITCHING OF WEAK BEAMS BY USING BRIGHT SPATIAL-SOLITON COLLISIONS

We show that a collision between two bright spatial solitons acts as a n asymmetric optical Y junction and, in specific cases, as an optical switch for the weak beams that they guide. The output energy of the pr obe beams in each optical channel can be controlled by adjustment of e ither the relative direction or the phase of the two colliding soliton s or by a change in the wavelength of the probe beams. A physical desc ription of such behavior based on the diffraction of the incident prob e beams by a diffraction grating formed by the spatial-soliton collisi on profile is presented.